Prussian Blue
Synthetic · 18th century to present
Prussian blue, first produced in Berlin around 1706, is widely credited as the first modern synthetic pigment.
The glass dish and pale backdrop occupy more of the frame than the pigment itself, so an automated whole-frame scan would be dominated by grey and white rather than the blue pigment — the palette above was hand-picked from the pigment mound."Pigment Berliner Blau" by Saalebaer, CC0, via Wikimedia CommonsLicence details
- Source:
- Wikimedia Commons
- Creator:
- Saalebaer
- Licence:
- CC0 1.0 Universal — dedicated to the public domain, free to use for any purpose.
- Reviewed:
- 2026-07-25
Low toxicity
Contains iron-cyanide compounds that are chemically stable and generally considered low-risk in normal use, unlike free cyanide.
The cyanide compound is tightly chemically bound and considered low-risk in normal artistic and industrial use; still used safely in modern artists' paint.
- Source material
- Synthetic iron-based compound
- Geography
- First produced in Germany, then adopted across Europe
- Earliest documented use
- Early 18th century (first produced in Berlin, around 1706)
- Cost & availability
- Significantly cheaper than natural ultramarine, making a strong blue pigment widely affordable for the first time.
- Production (historical summary)
- Synthesised from iron salts and a cyanide-based compound.
- Stability & lightfastness
- Good under most conditions; can fade under strong alkaline conditions. (good)
Notable uses
- European painting from the 18th century onward
- Blueprint (cyanotype) printing
- Japanese woodblock prints, including Hokusai's work
Sources
- The National Gallery, London (conservation and pigment research) — The National Gallery
- Wikipedia (colour, pigment and dye history articles) — Wikimedia Foundation